The Great Pyramid, attributed to Khufu (Cheops) is on the right, the pyramid attributed to Khafra (Chephren) next to it, and that of Menkaura (Mycerinus) the smallest of the three. The Great Pyramid was originally 481 feet, five inches tall (146.7 meters) and measured 755 feet (230 meters) along its sides. Covering an area of 13 acres, or 53,000 square meters.

Constructed from approximately 2.5 million limestone blocks weighing on average 2.6 tons each, its total mass is more than 6.3 million tons. The base of the pyramid is level to within just under an inch, and the sides are almost exactly as long as each other – the greatest difference is just under 2 inches. Not much is known about Cheops (Khufu). The tomb had been robbed long before archeologists came upon it. Any information about him was taken with the objects inside the tomb. He is thought to have been the ruler of a highly structured society and he must have been very wealthy. He was buried alone in this massive tomb. His wives may have been buried nearby in smaller mastabas.

The encasing marble which covered the outside of the pyramid has eroded or been removed over time. With this casing off, the pyramid lost 33 feet (11m) of all of its dimensions. The top platform is 10m square. The base of the pyramid is 754 feet and covers 13 acres. The original entrance to the pyramid was about 15m higher than the entrance that is used today. 

Ascending Passage:

The ascending passage rises at an angle of 26 degrees. The ascending passage leads up into the pyramid. The ascending passage is the same dimensions as the descending, 3'6" (1.1m) wide and 3'11" (1.2m) high. It can be quite a difficult trek for some people. The passage leads on for 129 feet (39m).

Grand Gallery:

The gallery is 157 feet (48m) long and 28 feet (8.5m) high and is at the same 26 degree angle as the passages. The roof of the gallery is corbelled. It is said that not a piece of paper or a needle can be inserted between the stones making up the roof. The gallery is only 62 inches (1.6m) wide at the bottom and is only 41 inches (1m) wide at the top of the incline.

King's Chamber:

The Grand Gallery leads into the King's Chamber. The walls of the chamber are made of pink Aswan granite. Inside this chamber is the very large sarcophagus made of Aswan red granite, with no lid. The sarcophagus must have been placed inside the chamber as the pyramid was being built. It is much too large to have been moved in afterwards, as was the usual custom of that time. The King's Chamber is 34'4" x 17'2" x 19'1" high (5.2m x 10.8m x 5.8m high). This chamber also has the possible ventilation shafts as the Queen's Chamber. They are at the same angle as the shafts in the Queen's Chamber.



Why the Pyramid was built?
1) The history of humanity is written and hidden somewhere in or beneath this great building.

2) The pyramids of Giza acted as beacons that guided the pilots of aircrafts towards a landing site at Baalbek. (The Stairway to Heaven, Avon Books, New York, 1980.)

3) The pyramid was created to use its awesome powers in a war of the Gods!!!!!!! As a result of this war, the Pyramid was permanently taken out of service and its capstone removed. (The Wars of Gods and Men, Avon Books, 1985.)

4) The pyramid was used to split the water into hydrogen and oxygen. These two gases were transported separately to the King's Chamber. The hydrogen gas was then burned under controlled conditions in a granite box. These two gases can therefore be used to create a powerful source of energy, the oxygen acting as a combustion agent for a hydrogen gas fire. (The great pyramid of Giza -- the final solution, A Unique Theory by Alan F. Alford, 1996.)

5) The pyramid served as a radio telescope. Along the side ramps there are niches that now lie empty. It is possible that they might have been crystals that resonated to different frequencies and were thus used in the radio-telescope's incoming communications facility. (The great pyramid of Giza -- the final solution, A Unique Theory by Alan F. Alford, 1996)

6) When years are substituted for inches, the Great Pyramid becomes a prophetic calendar. Dates shown include the start of the Pyramid's construction in 2623 BC, the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt in 1453 BC, the death of Christ in 33 A.D., and the start of World War I in 1914. (Art Bell's newsletter, AFTER DARK Vol.1 No.3 March 1995)

Recent Facts & Discoveries:
1. Pyramids of Giza are also the planet's original tourist attractions: They were visited by the Greek historian Herodotus, climbed by Anthony, Cleopatra's beau, and slept in by Napoleon, big man of history.

2. It is estimated area covered by the great pyramid could accommodate Westminster and St Paul's in London, St Peter's in Rome and the cathedrals of Milan and Florence, all combined. 

3. Some of the earliest history of the Pyramid comes from a Greek traveler named Herodotus of Halicanassus. He visited Egypt around 450 BC and included a description of the Great Pyramid in a history book he wrote. Herodotus was told by his Egyptian guides that it took twenty-years for a force of 100,000 oppressed slaves to build the pyramid. Stones were lifted into position by the use of immense machines.

In 1638 a English mathematician, John Greaves, visited the pyramid. He discovered a narrow shaft, hidden in the wall, that connected the Grand Gallery with the descending passage. Both ends were tightly sealed and the bottom was blocked with debris. Some archaeologists suggested this route was used by the last of the Pharaoh's men to exit the tomb, after the granite plugs had been put in place, and by the thieves to get inside. Given the small size of the passageway and the amount of debris it seems unlikely that the massive amount of treasure, including the huge missing sarcophagus lid, could have been removed this way. 

4. Some have suggested that the pyramid was never meant as a tomb, but as an astronomical observatory. 

5. Richard Proctor, an astronomer, did observe that the descending passage could have been used to observe the transits of certain stars. He also suggested that the grand gallery, when open at the top, during construction, could have been used for mapping the sky. 

6. Most archaeologists, though, accept the theory that the great pyramid was just the largest of a tradition of tombs used for the Pharaohs of Egypt.